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modular,
modernist... say what?

Welcome to
fabprefab, a web resource dedicated to tracking developments in the market for
‘modernist prefab dwellings’

Why
modernist prefab?

Predominant
mass-market housing programs such as project homes or tract housing largely fail
to meet the desires of people who appreciate a modernist design aesthetic. Custom-designed
modernist architecture is beyond the financial reach of many people and so prefab
is viewed as a design and production ideology that has the potential to deliver
affordable modernism. While kit or prefab homes have been available in a range
of either "traditional" or "alternative" forms for many years,
surprisingly few prefab homes exist that truly embrace modernist ideals.
Will modernist prefab succeed?

Modernist prefab is still more of a meme
than a marketplace. Most
projects are “in development” and relatively few prefabs are available
for immediate purchase.

While architects
are clearly interested in exploring the use of prefabrication methods in design
and construction, this is only one piece of the puzzle. Marketing a turn-key prefab
dwelling is as much about understanding a business model as being able
to design a structure. “Commercialization” is traditionally the domain
of speculative builders and property developers rather than design professionals.
So who will successfully bring prefab projects to market? What forms will winning
business models take?